Syndicate lottery ticket holders advised to make it official

AT THIS time of the year, many groups of people in clubs and societies or even a group of friends in bars club together to buy a number of Spanish Christmas lottery tickets.

Known as ‘El Gordo’ and drawn on December 22 every year, it’s quite common for small amounts of money to be paid in throughout the year for the organiser to then purchase a number of the tickets that cost €20 each.

However, sometimes these mini syndicates can cause problems and in order to avoid them this year, the Spanish Consumers’ Association (OCU) has issued some advice.

Their main recommendation is for the organisers to keep a photocopy of both the back and the front of the lottery tickets if they are being shared with other people just in case they are among the winning numbers drawn out. Ideally, there should also be some written instructions of the intention to share the prize and with the names of those involved in the syndicate. The OCU said: “Promises mean nothing in the event of a conflict and do not serve as proof.”

If one of the El Gordo tickets is lost or stolen, the OCU advice is to report it as soon as possible to the police AND to the state lottery organisers – Loterías y Apuestas del Estado – as it would be possible to prevent any payout until a judge has established the real owner(s) of the tickets.